Many thanks to all who came to see our new sign being unveiled. We counted over 80 people which was brilliant! After the unveiling, refreshments were served by Parish Councillors in the Village Hall, with delicious cakes from Garnetts Gardens and also a photo cake of our new village sign.  The event was also covered by Radio Suffolk & Nearthecoast.com

Parish Council Chairman Dr Andy Nicholson welcomed everyone and thanked various individuals for their work on the sign project.

The sign was unveiled by Peter Kindred, who is one of Parham's most long-standing residents, as well as President of Parham Airfield Museum.

Some of his speech can be found below in case you missed the event, or couldn't hear parts with the large number of cars passing during the event. 

"I am pleased and honoured to unveil the new Parham Parish Sign. 

This replaces the original one designed and made by pupils at Farlingay School whilst Paul Briscoe was teaching craft there.

Parham has a great history and the work of local craftsmen over the ages can be seen throughout the village. I am pleased to report that the new sign was actually designed and made in Parham by the staff at Laser Patterns and that the post from a local oak tree was milled at Berry’s timber yard.

May I just describe the features depicted on the sign?

To the centre left you will see the pears hanging from the tree, from which Parham derives its name dating back to Saxon times.

Unmistakable is the outline of St. Mary’s church dating back probably to the 12^th century. A magnificent structure built when the river was probably much bigger than today, allowing the flints used in its construction to be barged in.

At the top you will see the figure of the Woodwose, a wild man, derived from the 15^th century carvings on the archway to Moat Hall. These are often found on mediaeval architecture in Suffolk and Norfolk and can be seen on the Willoughby family coat of arms. The green man with his cudgel down is a friendly sign. It means he has been converted to Christianity and is a sign of peacefulness.

The framework and arch of the sign depicts the church Lichgate which was made of oak by the late Roy Frost’s father sometime around 1895 to commemorate the Royal Jubilee. This represents the stylish work of local craftsmen during the 19^th century and to a certain extent shows the self- sufficiency of village life at that time.

The B-17 Flying Fortress just under the archway depicts our recent history. How the tranquillity of Parham changed in 1943 with the arrival of 275 B-17s, 3000 young American Airmen, their Jeeps, and Bicycles, and the Friday Night dances.  But, none, more so than the fatal crash on the Methodist chapel shortly after take-off of a B 17 on 27^th Dec. 1944, just a short time before the 9 o’clock Sunday Morning service. Fortunately, there were no civilian fatalities. The crew were all killed as the bombs exploded and almost every house along the street had its windows broken. To this day you can see the evidence of damage to the tree line on the other side of this road. The B-17 on the sign will serve as a tribute to those 742 young Americans who gave their lives helping us keep our freedom. It will be much appreciated by descendants returning to see where their relatives were based in the war.

Thank you to everyone who got this project off the ground and saw it through to completion.

We have a sign that we should all be very proud to say represents PARHAM. This is a great sign and a great village to live in."

More photos of the lovely village get-together can be found in our Gallery.